The Best Cheap Adjustable Dumbbells: Kensui AdjustaBELL Pro & Max Review 

If you tighten the screws too much, you can always turn the plate itself. This will loosen the screw enough, and then you can can unscrew the lock like you would normally do.

I've owned both versions for a while now. I have found the aluminum ones snapped like glass with even a light drop (with heavy weights on them I must say). I was able to get replacements screws and I continue to use them, however, I don't drop them at all. I've never dropped the plastic ones so I don't have any observations about the survive ability of them. Changing weights on either of them is quite time consuming. I continue to use them both in every workout however and I like them so much I ordered two more of the plastic ones so I can keep several loaded at the same time to speed moving from one weight to another. Edit: I see quite a few comments about poor customer service and delayed shipping. I will say that I have experienced none of those problems. I got mine reasonably quickly and when I broke mine, I found that Remy responded repeatedly quickly and provided quick correction to my problems. I may be an outlier with my experience but I just wanted to include this info.

*I'll always prefer your down to earth, real-person style over the chaotic mess that GGR has become. See you next week!*

I totally agree with some of the comments here, I bought the AdjustaBELL MAX BUNDLE $199.95 and it took 2 months to get and then when I did get them - the bag was ripped open and only HALF my Order was in the Bag. But before I bought them I did do some internet research and MANY people had the same exact problem. So I knew beforehand on what to expect. But still it shouldn't take 2 months to get ANYTHING.

These look like a budget friendly option. It’s 2nd hand feedback but I’ve seen a few people who had issues with shipping/communication.

Really looking forward to a review of the Rep Pepin adjustables once they are out.

I don't even need this, I just like hearing your analysis on products

Thanks for the review Gluck! 🙏

This guy is on a content spree

Great review Gluck! I ordered a pair in May and they still haven't shipped. I'm happy to hear that I'll probably like them when they get here 🤣.

Great review and recommendations!

I appreciate the honesty in this review. Not what I'd trust, but a fair review!

Thanks. Great review! Very thorough.

Love this topic. Hope to see more like this

My home gym started with the Yes4all adjustable dumbbells. I have a pair of Rep Pepin adjustables coming in the fall.

These are more impressive than I had initially thought!

I ordered mine in April, still waiting. I was still glad to see this review and I hope to get my pair of Pro and Max sometime this month. Just be aware, that many people have waited up to 6 months to receive their orders based on my research. Love your videos Gluck and loved the hiking with the dumbbells into the wilderness to do some curls.

Off topic but that shirt looks really good on you. Keep up the good work. Always give you a thumbs up even if I don't comment.

Heads up, not sure when exactly you received these, but Kensui has recently silently updated their design so it is no longer compatible with true 1"/25mm standard plates, the website lists it now as compatible with 28mm plates which is 1.1" and eliminates use with a lot of standard plates. 2"/50mm olympic plates should still be fine. Seen some posts on home gym communities about people having problems fitting their standard 1" plates now and apparently the design was updated to be a little stronger by making the handle/peg diameter slightly larger. Also, have heard their customer service is not great and I've personally been ignored through repeated attempts to contact them and ask questions so I wouldn't recommend them much despite the fact they seem to make interesting products.

Great video. I have no need for these but always enjoy your videos. I use a combination of dumbbells. Hexbells for 5 to 30lb pairs in 5lb increments, spin lock standard dumbbells for a pair of 35, 40, 45lbs and then i have two pair of CAP fitness loadable Olympic dumbbell handles for anything heavier i want to lift since they are rated up to 150lbs per handle.

Gave the max a try and ended up returning. You really need to have like 20 thin 10 lbs plates for these. They're just too overly big with any plates bigger then that. Their a good affordable option if you already have a bunch of thin 10 lbs plates but changing weight is still too tedious. Looking forward to getting the rep pepins when they come.

Great video

Great review! I own the maxes and dumbbell rowed 120lbs with no issues. I AM afraid to drop these from waist high or higher though. Drop test the max? LOL.

Several Yes4All db sets, a few extra db handles (including longer ones for rows for heavier weights), some extra standard plates combined with some Kensui handles for presses and I never change db weights during a workout.

I have the pros. I used a 1" drill bit to strip the threading off the standard-to-Olympic adapters so that they slide on and off. This makes changing weights a little faster, but they still fit snug enough that the plates don't rattle. Changing weights does take a couple minutes, and mixing & matching standard and Olympic plates works but makes the process a bit more annoying. Also, with the extensions, the cost does add up. Maybe one day I'll upgrade to the Rep x Pepins. Until then, I'll make do with these.

I ordered a set of max back on 3-26-2024 and I'm still waiting for them. I'd like to try them one day.

I have 2 pairs of spinlock dbells, it's fine. I expect to get Ironmaster Dbells. Thanks for your videos 😉💪

Nice. Still a bit pricey compared to spinlocks, which will hold a lot of weight. One thing with the spinlocks: 1" washers are very cheap at any hardware store. For benching I just use washers to pad up the space between the plate and the screw on collar so it sits flat with the rod. Of course, 1" "standard" plates are not as cheap as they used to be. I used to buy them for 50 cents a pound, and then $1 a pound at Dicks and Sports Authority. Those days are gone. Though if you keep an eye out for garage sales and such, you can still find cheap plates.

I ordered the MAX, 2 months ago and still have not received them. I also ordered the weight vest and the order took 6 weeks to get and the order was not complete. Still waiting for the replacement parts.

Can you do a review on Exxentric Kbox? It's expensive but very versatile and space efficient.

Can you do a review of the Force USA leg presses? The compact and full size versions

I’ve been using these for about a year now and I’ve been happy with them. I bought the pros and extensions, but the extensions are a little annoying since they don’t quite fit some of my 1” plates, and then if you’re in that range where the standard screws are too short, but the extensions are too long, that can be frustrating. My plan is to find some 1” washers to act as shims so the extensions don’t bottom out on each other before they snug up. Overall, it was a good purchase for a budget home gym.

Solid budget option!

Is there a quality adjustable dumbbell set with a weight range starting at 50 lbs?

Did they imp😢the washer that keeps the plates from scratching up against the handle? It was glued on in the past.

How do you think using these would compare to getting the 80lb Eisenlinks and then just using 25lb & 10lb standard plates on the Eisenlink handles if you wanted to go heavier? Would that be a better way to go for having slightly faster changing up to 80lbs using Eisenlink's plates, but still having the possibility to go heavier with a flat-end cap design and durable handle for dropping?

Awesome budget pick. I absolutely hate my old spin locks.

I have a pair of the PROs and the MAXs. They’re perfect for me because I only use dumbbells for a few exercises and I don’t do drop-sets or super-sets with DB exercises so the time to change weights doesn’t really bother me.

I bought both - one of the pegs on the Pro broke for no real reason but the Max are awesome.

I just ordered a pair

Drop test!!!!

They also have great customer service.

when are you going to review them plates?

Wheb the screws are on tightly you cab sometimes grab the plate and turn that instead to get it going. At least on my old spinlock ones that's what I have to do.

I have a pair of Kensui AdjustaBell. I had problems changing plates on one. I had to use a jar opener to unscrew it. I don't know if the one has a manufactured defect but I thought I give everyone a "heads up" that Kensui Fitness has quality issues. For instance, the handle of the Kensui AdjustaMACE I bought BROKE the first time I put weight plates on it.

I considered getting them but not as sole dumbbell system. I will keep my 5-50lb individuals. Anything over 50lb I would use these. I only do 1 or 2 heavy dumbbell workouts per day so not much swapping.

The problem with these are they are just loadable dumbbells that don't have the excess bar. Also, they kill the range of motition using big diameter plates. The big plus is the cost. I have Ironmasters. I have had them for over 2 decades. I also would like Trulap for the faster adjusting, which is a minimal difference

Thanks for the proper review of these alternatives to Baadass or Peppin… With standard (eg, York 1” plates) would they fit 150lbs?

How many basic cheap 10lb 1" plates can they fit per side with the extended pins?

First off, I've heard this company's name mispronounced so many times on RU-vid, I was really surprised to hear you took the time to nail down he pronunciation. It's actually the Japanese word for Pull Ups. Although it seems like the word チンニング (chinning) seems to be the more popular word of choice by Japanese fitness RU-vidrs these days. I would like for you to give a little thought to your criticism about the time it takes to switch out plates because there is a pretty easy fix that I've made to address this. Just buy a second pair. I like to alternate between skull crushers and curls when I hit my arms. With two pairs of AdjustaBells I can just hammer these out without swapping plates as I go back and forth between exercises. Even with shelling out an extra $40 it is still the cheapest adjustable dumbbell option!

Hope everyone woke up with all 10 fingers

Hi guys, I want to do a well-made home gym and I've been thinking about dumbbells like these, do you recommend them or are there similar dumbbells but with much better quality? if yes, can you write to me?…thank for the answers

I like the product in general and have uses below, but I think the 2" centering knobs are a waste. they're of only marginal benefit at certain weights, but at many weight increments because of how thick the knobs are you need to use two smaller plates or the knob protrudes and the screw cap fits against that rather than snugging against the plate. want just 10 lbs? well my 5lbs plates are thinner than the knob, and instead I need 8 2.5lbs plates to balance both sides on both dumbbells and have them snug and centered. happens at a lot of increments. even though I own them, it is even to center without and I don't have to spend time changing those out, too, especially because they are annoying when threading the second side to align everything. However, I think a single pro dumbbell to be an amazingly useful piece of gym kit. I bring it in for some ulnar and radial deviation and forearm rotation by loading only one side. as regular dumbbells they're fine, but only for certain exercises for the load will be light and micro plates and such will preferred. those you can bring with and a handle or two. once they start needing much more than a couple 10s, it just is not reasonable to use many larger plates or have stacks of thin 10s, and you'll need 12 if you want to do a pair of 60lbs dumbbells or 8 10s and 8 5s...

⚠What I hated about Kensui is that regular spin lock handles are 25.4mm, but the Kensui are 26.7 mm. So many of my plates would not fit. 🤷‍♂ If they are made to replace the spin locks, why not make them 1 inch (25.4 mm)?

Quite a bit cheaper than a second set of IronMaster handles. They appeal from that perspective.

I don't agree that they are budget or inexpensive. Comparing these with Peppin or Neobell (those are highly engineered machines) is comparing apples with oranges. These are just dumbbell handles without weights. To me, they are just an improved version of the old spin lock handles that I had for over 30 years. I bought a pair of Maxes with four extensions for $180. A pair of spin locks cost around $20 on Amazon. So, they are pretty expensive to me. Also, my order took 4 months to deliver. I received a bag containing two beat up boxes. Luckily, everything was there and not damaged.

reppin hype

The Pepins are super fast change but they are so dam expensive. I hope someone makes a knockoff soon, when I start building my home gym.

I would’ve been all over these in 2021

I was hoping for a legit drop test with the Pros.

I won't buy them - I know that even before watching. Too expensive to import them, I don't have any plates to put on them,... I'm just here for the puns. EDIT: No puns this time - still interesting to watch.

when you factor in the costs of calibrated plates, they really aren't that economical. Better to go with ironmaster.

Loadable dumbbells are my least favorite style of adjustable, but these look better than I gave them credit for. Great job showing the trade offs between the two options as well as compared to similar alternatives. These look like a solid option for a budget or someone just starting out.

They are a scam company. They took my money on May 3rd, and it still hasn't shipped. I emailed them to cancel the order and they said they can't because it's "packed up". I'm not alone. You need to update this to reflect that they are not a good company.

first

Way too big for heavy weight

Basement Brandon called, he wants his personality back.

Hi guys, I want to do a well-made home gym and I've been thinking about dumbbells like these, do you recommend them or are there similar dumbbells but with much better quality? if yes, can you write to me?…thank for the answers